One of the best things about the internet is that it brought about a sort of “democratization” of the entertainment industry. Whereas big companies used to decide what gets made and what doesn’t (sometimes taking into account the fan’s wishes, but certainly not always!), now fans can interact directly with the creators and contribute to the funding of gadgets, video games, and even movies. Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform which has been at the forefront of this revolution. Over the past few years, numerous independent projects have been financed via this service. Some of these projects have been extremely lucrative, attracting tens of thousands of backers and receiving a lot more money than expected. Here is a list of the ten most successful campaigns, according to Kickstarter’s own statistics:

10. Mighty No. 9 – 67,226 backers, $3,845,170 pledged

As we’ve mentioned in our introduction, crowdfunding platforms have totally changed the way creators interact with their fans. And right off the bat, we see a really good example of this, as Kickstarter helped acclaimed video game producer and illustrator Keiji Inafune, the man behind Capcom’s beloved Mega Man character, to independently develop Mighty No. 9, a side-scrolling action game in the same vein of Mega Man and other similar classics of the past few decades.

It didn’t take long for Inafune’s campaign to reach its goal of $900,000 – just two days! –, as an impressive $3,845,170 was pledged by no fewer than 67,226 backers.

 

9. Project Eternity – 73,986 backers, $3,986,929 pledged

Obsidian Entertainment (known for making sequels to such games as Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, or Dungeon Siege) began crowdfunding an original project through Kickstarter in the fall of 2012. Under the working title Project Eternity, this fantasy RPG convinced 73,986 people it was worth backing, and ultimately received almost four times the amount initially set as the goal.

Pillars of Eternity (as the game has been officially called) will be released on 26 March 2015.

8. Exploding Kittens – 102,611 backers, $4,027,056 pledged (ongoing)

If the internet and blockbusters movies have taught us anything, it’s the fact that people really love cats and explosions. So a project called Exploding Kittens was bound to at least receive some kind of attention, even though (thankfully, we suppose) it’s just the name of a Russian roulette-style card game.

Created by Elan Lee, Shane Small (both of whom have experience working for Xbox, among others), and Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal), the project reached its $10,000 goal in under 20 minutes and currently has 102,367 backers who have pledged over $4 million! Exploding Kittens has already broken Kickstarter records and is still, well, exploding, so expect it to be higher on the list by the time the campaign ends on February 20.

7. Torment: Tides of Numenera

Torment: Tides of Numenera is a video game based on Monte Cook’s Numenera universe – and another great example of how relatively obscure titles can be financed if they have a loyal, passionate following behind them.

The Kickstarter campaign for Torment started in the spring of 2013 and eventually got 74,405 pledges worth a total of $4,188,927, significantly more than the initial goal of $900,000 (a goal which was actually met within the first six hours!).

6. Bringing Back Reading Rainbow – 105,857 backers, $5,408,916 pledged

This particular Kickstarter campaign is proof that, while people do often get behind projects that benefit their particular niche, they’re also willing to contribute to good causes as well. In this case, it was reviving Reading Rainbow, an award-winning PBS show that encouraged children to read.

In May 2014, a campaign was launched to raise funds to make the app available on various platforms, and also to create a classroom version free of charge disadvantaged classrooms. This initial goal of $1 million was achieved in just eleven hours, but the final amount raised was $5,408,916 from 105,857 backers. Comedian Seth MacFarlane contributed an additional $1 million.

5. Veronica Mars Movie – 91,585 backers, $5,702,153 pledged

A critically acclaimed TV series which ran from 2004 to 2007, Veronica Mars managed to attract a cult following, but not good enough ratings overall to ensure its continuation. That loyal fan base did however contribute to the making of a feature film, after pledging over $5.7 million to its campaign, breaking every previous Kickstarter record in the process. The long-awaited continuation to the series received $1 million within five hours and surpassed its $2 million goal in about ten, and the movie was finally released in March 2014.

4. Pono Music – 8,220 backers, $6,225,354 pledged

You’d think that with all the options available for listening to music these days, there wasn’t much room for any new players. But what makes PonoMusic so successful isn’t any newfangled technology, but rather the opposite – nostalgia.

Developed by Canadian singer Neil Young, Pono (a Hawaiian name meaning righteousness) is basically a combination of a portable music player and a download service aiming to offer the music of “the same quality you heard in the studio,” as opposed to the compressed, inferior sound provided by MP3s. This idea seems to have struck a chord with quite a few people, as 18,220 backers pledged $6,225,354, almost eight times the initial goal.

3. OUYA Video Console – 63,416 backers, $8,596,474

After game consoles have dominated the gaming market for years, the focus has switched recently to mobile devices, taking a lot of the talent and creativity with it. That’s something the creators of OUYA are trying to fight back against with their innovative new console.

OUYA runs Android and is its own dev kit, allowing developers to create games cheaply and easily, bringing fresh impetus to TV-based gaming. Bringing together the best of two worlds sounds pretty cool, so it’s not surprising the $950,000 funding goal was easily reached, as 63,416 backers contributed a massive $8,596,474.

2. Pebble E-Paper Smartwatch – 68,929 backers, $10,266,845 pledged

The most expensive gadget ever funded on Kickstarter, the success of the Pebble smartwatch in 2012 was a clear indication of how popular things with the word “smart” in their name had become.

With its black and white e-paper display, magnetometer, ambient light sensors, accelerometer, and vibrating motor, it has all the features an active person could ask for, the kind of person who needs easy access to information – and glancing at your wrist is certainly easier than constantly reaching for your pocket to check your smartphone. The fact that it’s compatible with Android and iOS devices and can connect with the via Bluetooth makes it even more useful.

The campaign didn’t even need much time to take off either – after reaching the $1 million milestone in just 28 hours, it eventually bagged $10,266,845 from almost 69,000 backers, over one hundred times more than the $100K goal.

1. The Coolest Cooler – 62,642 backers, $13,285,226 pledged

Maybe we’re reading too much into this, but we’re not exactly sure what the number one most funded Kickstarter campaign ever tells us about ourselves. It’s not a video game or a movie, projects which seems to galvanize internet denizens more than anything else. It’s not even much of a gadget.

The Coolest Cooler is basically a cooler which also includes such features as a portable waterproof Bluetooth speaker, a blender, built-in USB charger, LED light, and bottle opener. While this undoubtedly makes it very useful when organizing fun outdoor activities, it’s hardly revolutionary – yet it has gathered a staggering $13,285,226 from 62,642 backers, over 250 times its $50,000 initial goal!

Never would’ve thought so many people wanted a cooler with a USB charger, but at least it’s good to know picnics are still cool.